A Rich History

It all began back in 1908 when the Ottawa Branch of the Royal Mint (as it was known at the time) struck its very first coin—a gold sovereign with a "C" for Canada. In-house gold refining started shortly thereafter and in March 1912, the Department of Finance ordered the Mint to strike 8,000 five-dollar gold coins and 8,000 ten-dollar gold coins. This was a momentous occasion, as these were the first "truly" Canadian gold coins, bearing the word "Canada" with a typically Canadian image—in this case the country's coat of arms.

In 1979, the Royal Canadian Mint began the production of gold bullion, with $50-denomination Gold Maple Leaf one-ounce coins. They were 99.9% pure, guaranteed by the Government of Canada for weight and purity, and before long, they became among the world's most popular pure gold coins.

Today, the Mint operates one of the world's most technically advanced refineries of gold and silver, and markets a family of bullion coins, wafers and bars for investors.

Here are a few more important recent dates and events:

1982:

The Royal Canadian Mint introduces the world's first 99.99% pure gold bullion coin

1988:

The Royal Canadian Mint introduces the 99.99% pure Silver Maple Leaf (SML) and 99.95% pure Platinum Maple Leaf bullion for sale to investors and collectors

2005:

The Palladium Maple Leaf one-troy ounce bullion coin (99.95% pure) is introduced, with a face value of $50 and produced in limited quantities

2007:

The Royal Canadian Mint creates a 99.999% pure gold bullion coin, and remains the only mint in the world to issue coins at such a high standard

"The Million Dollar Coin": the Royal Canadian Mint unveils our largest gold bullion coin: the 100-kilogram, .99999 pure Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin, bearing a $1 million face value—only five of these record-setting gold bullion coins were produced

You can be assured that the Mint fully guarantees the superior quality and craftsmanship of its products. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you can simply return it to us in its original packaging within 30 days and we will gladly offer you a replacement (subject to product availability) or send you a full refund. In the case of a defective product, we will accept the return up to one year from the date of purchase.